Current zoning regulations that limit adult businesses to several areas near the highway have been challenged in court, and a consultant has proposed the commission adopt two new zones where adult establishments would be permitted - nearly 87 acres in the North Meadows area and 64 acres in the Prestige Park area.

But residents fearing traffic, crime and a decrease in property values said Wednesday that the proposed zones are too close to homes, churches and schools.

If the commission approves the new zones, an adult entertainment business could buy a piece of property in one of the zoned areas and apply for a building permit without coming before the planning and zoning commission for approval.

"You're making this the Las Vegas of the state of Connecticut," former Mayor Susan Kniep told the planning and zoning commission Wednesday. "As a permitted use, these people can come in and you will not have a thing to say about it."

The commission had not voted on the regulations by 11 p.m. Wednesday, and residents urged the board to delay a vote until the proposal is studied further.

Current regulations allow adult entertainment businesses to apply for a special permit to build within one of several designated "I-3 zones" near I-84. They include areas near Prestige Park, the riverfront off Riverside Drive and a portion of Rentschler Field.

But in October 2007, the town was served with a federal lawsuit filed by Mark Chu, who wants to build an "upscale" adult entertainment center and restaurant on Roberts Street. Another lawsuit was filed the following January by Pitkin Street Entertainment, which tried unsuccessfully to open adult establishments in town.

The lawsuits, commission Chairman Anthony Kayser said, brought to light "flaws" in existing zoning regulations that violated the First Amendment rights of adult entertainment businesses. Kayser said the town must have zones where adult entertainment establishments are a "permitted use" instead of requiring a business to apply for a special permit. "[A special permit process] gives the commission the right to deny an application," thus infringing on the applicant's constitutional rights, Kayser said.

Consultant Philip Michalowski said the adult entertainment businesses would also be required to have a 1,000-foot setback, a minimum lot size of 10,000 feet and be conducted in a manner so that no material of a sexual nature is visible from the outside.

"We've looked at every area in town, and these two areas seem to be the most appropriate," Kayser said of the proposed zones.

Michalowski studied zoning regulations enforced in cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Indianapolis.